Breaking Point
by kazoquel4
Summary: Nico di Angelo was nearing his breaking point. Angst. One-shot.


Nico was a drifter. Orphaned, forgotten, and pushed away, he spent most of his time in the Underworld with the only people who wouldn't run from him: the dead.

But the dead weren't the best company, even for the child of Hades. They were merely echoes of people long since passed, and couldn't quite make up for the disparaging ache of loneliness, the lack of human contact. The need to speak, to touch someone with beating hearts and warm flesh settled on Nico, and he longed to reach out, but he couldn't. The living just weren't his area of expertise.

He felt awkward around people. They were so complex, so full of emotions. He didn't know what to say or what to do when he was around them, because any wrong step and he could completely ruin his chances. At least with the dead, he didn't have to worry about that. They didn't care what he said or did, because it just didn't matter to them. Even Nico's company was better than the monotonous, dreary existence they led in the Underworld.

Bianca had been the only person to truly understand him, and her absence left a deep hole in Nico's heart. What was the point of getting close to someone, he thought, if all they did was leave you? Everyone he had ever cared about had been ripped away from him without a second thought. In reality, his sister had left him twice; once, when she had abandoned him for the Hunters, and a second time, brought about by her death.

Perhaps Nico was frightened for this very reason. He was an expert on death and misery. He knew anyone he even attempted to make connections with could leave him easily, just step out of his life, and he would be worse off than before. Whoever had come up with 'It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved before' needed to get his priorities straight. Nico had learned that if you didn't love anyone, you wouldn't get hurt. And he practiced his belief, keeping out of everyone's way and not reaching out to anyone.

It's not like he was missed. Children of Hades weren't exactly welcome at camp, due to their infamous history. And Nico's gaunt face and somber mood didn't exactly encourage people to invite him to parties. No, they avoided him like the plague, for the most part. And he didn't try and stop them. Why try to talk to them if they didn't want him around? The campers and him and come to a mutual understanding- he stays out of their way, and they leave him alone. It was quite simple, really.

But there were some people who actually cared what happened to the boy. Perseus Jackson, for one, was always seeking him out to ask how he was doing. Nico was touched by his efforts, although he knew the son of Poseidon didn't truly care about him. It was simply out of guilt for Bianca's death that he checked up on her younger brother. He didn't want to fail the Huntress a second time, although Nico had long since forgiven Percy for his sister's untimely death. But he was grateful that Percy seemed to worry over his state of being, even if only in the vaguest way possible. It was something, at least.

Another was Thalia Grace, his cousin. The temperamental daughter of Zeus always seemed to run into him on her jaunts across the world with her Huntresses. Nico wasn't sure if it was on accident or not, but she always made time to hang out with him, despite her busy schedule. The disdain held by the other girls for men wasn't present in Thalia, at least with her cousins. She was quite relaxed around both Percy and Nico, and seemingly liked being around them.

But Nico couldn't fully accept their affection, however much he craved it. Who knew what would happen if he let someone in? He had spent a long time building up emotional walls and learning to brush someone away with ease, but both these skills seemed to become more strained as time went on. Nico knew he was near breaking point. He had been deprived from friendship and family for so long it was nothing but a distant memory to him, but he could feel the weight of the world settling on his shoulders.

Yes, Nico di Angelo was nearing his breaking point, and he was scared about what would happen when he did.

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**A/N: So I got the inexplicable desire to write Nico angst. I was thinking about writing a story where Paul and Sally adopt him, because I think that would be adorable. Anyone interested?**

**Please review to let me know what you think!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


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